# U.S. Route 95 in California

U.S. Route 95 (US 95) is a United States Numbered Highway, stretching from the Mexican border in San Luis, Arizona to the Canadian border near Eastport, Idaho. The California portion of US 95 traverses through the far eastern edges of both Riverside and San Bernardino counties. US 95 serves Blythe and Needles and junctions with SR 62 at Vidal Junction.
The route overlaps with two Interstate highways, specifically I-10 near Blythe and I-40 near Needles.

## Route description

The entirety of US 95 in California is designated as Route 95 in the state highway system. The California Streets and Highways Code defines it as follows in section 395:
   Route 95 is from: (a) Route 10 near Blythe to Route 40 near Needles. (b) Route 40 west of Needles northerly to the Nevada state line.
US 95, running concurrently with I-10, crosses the Colorado River from the state of Arizona and enters the city of Blythe. The highway exits I-10 at Intake Boulevard and turns due north, leaving the city limits. A few miles north, US 95 turns northeast to parallel the Colorado River. The route passes through the Big Maria Mountains and the Riverside Mountains before entering San Bernardino County.
Upon entering San Bernardino County, US 95 turns away from the Colorado River, heading northwest towards Vidal Junction, the junction with SR 62 in the Vidal Valley. The highway continues north through the Chemehuevi Valley and the Chemehuevi Mountains before entering the city of Needles after several miles. After passing the Needles Municipal Airport, US 95 merges onto I-40 westbound and continues through Needles on the freeway. US 95 exits from I-40 west of Needles and continues northwest to Searchlight Junction, where US 95 continues north at the junction with the old routing of US 66. The highway continues north, east of Homer Mountain, to the Nevada state line.
US 95 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and a small portion near I-10 and the portion north of I-40 are part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. US 95 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System, but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation.

## History

Route 146 was designated by the California State Legislature in 1933 and contained the portion from Blythe to the Nevada state line. US 95 was extended south from its routing in Idaho by AASHO through Searchlight and Needles to Blythe on June 28, 1939; the routing became effective at the start of 1940. In the 1964 state highway renumbering, the law was changed to reflect the designation as US 95.

## Major intersections

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
| County | Location | Postmile | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Colorado River | Colorado River | R156.49 | | I-10 east / US 95 south – Phoenix, Yuma | Continuation into Ehrenberg, Arizona |
| California–Arizona line |||
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | R156.10 | Agricultural Inspection Station (northbound only) | Agricultural Inspection Station (northbound only) | Agricultural Inspection Station (northbound only) |
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | R156.10 | 243 | Riviera Drive / I-10 BL west | Southbound exit and entrance only; northbound exit and entrance replaced by exit 242; I-10 BL is former US 60 west |
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | ​ | 242 | E. Hobson Way (I-10 BL) | Northbound exit and entrance only |
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | R154.16L0.16 | North end of freeway on I-10 | North end of freeway on I-10 | North end of freeway on I-10 |
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | R154.16L0.16 | | I-10 west – Indio | North end of I-10 overlap; I-10 exit 241 |
| Riverside RIV R156.49-36.20 | Blythe | L0.390.00 | | Hobsonway (I-10 BL) – Blythe | Former US 60 |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Vidal Junction | 9.68 | | SR 62 – Twentynine Palms, Parker, Lake Havasu City, London Bridge | |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | ​ | | Five Mile Road (Historic US 66 east) to I-40 – Topock, Kingman | South end of Historic US 66 overlap |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | 57.28R143.76 | | Historic US 66 west (E. Broadway / I-40 BL west) | North end of Historic US 66 overlap; south end of I-40 overlap; I-40 exit 144 |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | 57.28R143.76 | | I-40 east – Kingman, Lake Havasu City | North end of Historic US 66 overlap; south end of I-40 overlap; I-40 exit 144 |
| South end of freeway on I-40 |||
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | R142.37 | 142 | J Street – Downtown | |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | R141.01 | 141 | W. Broadway (I-40 BL east) / River Road (Historic US 66) | Former US 66 |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Needles | R139.11 | 139 | River Road Cutoff | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; former US 66 east |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | ​ | R132.73R57.21 | North end of freeway on I-40 | North end of freeway on I-40 | North end of freeway on I-40 |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | ​ | R132.73R57.21 | | I-40 west – Barstow | Interchange; north end of I-40 overlap; I-40 exit 133 |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | Arrowhead Junction | 63.94 | | Goffs Road (CR 66 west) – Goffs | Eastern terminus of CR 66; former US 66 west |
| San Bernardino SBD 0.00-80.45 | ​ | 80.45 | | US 95 north – Searchlight, Las Vegas | Continuation into Nevada |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||
* 1 2 3 4 Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along I-10 rather than US 95.
* 1 2 Exit numbers follow I-10 rather than US 95.
* 1 2 3 4 5 Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along I-40 rather than US 95.
* 1 2 3 Exit numbers follow I-40 rather than US 95.